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AHistory
History · Mesilla

Mesilla dates to 1848, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 91% of U.S. towns. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Mesilla Plaza, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 14 buildings.

1848founded
2on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Mesilla began

When was Mesilla founded?

1848

Mesilla dates its founding to 1848 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1858.

2020 census: 1,797178 years

How historic is Mesilla?

A

More historic than 91% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Mesilla’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mesilla is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mesilla’s overall grade.
Founding era1848, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194021.6% of homes (±11.6) · typical NM town 2.3% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register2 listings, 17 historic buildings, 99.0 per 10,000 residents · typical NM town 2.2 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 91%
NewerOlder

New Mexico towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical New Mexico town has 2.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Mesilla’s 99.0 sits above most of its state (93% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 17 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.6 points). Two sources give 1848.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Mesilla’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Mesilla are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A National Historic Landmark2 places on the National Register, including Mesilla Plaza, a National Historic Landmark.Deep rootsEstablished in 1848: 178 years of Mesilla.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mesilla’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mesilla’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 17 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Mesilla Plaza
historic buildings protected
17
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Mesilla Plaza
Barela-Reynolds House, built 1850Mesilla Plaza★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Territorial1
Barela-Reynolds HouseTerritorial · Built 1850
All 2 listings
Mesilla PlazaDistrict · listed 1966

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Timeline

Mesilla, 1848 to 1961

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1848
    FoundingMesilla is established
  3. 1850BuiltBarela-Reynolds House is built
  4. 1858Post officeThe Mesilla post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903Born hereJerry Hines is born here
  7. 1927Born hereMike C. Frietze Jr. is born here
  8. 1961LandmarkMesilla Plaza named a National Historic Landmark
The story

How Mesilla came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Mesilla.

Read it all →

The first permanent settlement in Mesilla was established by 116 settlers from Chihuahua in the 1840s led by Pablo Melendres.

The village of Mesilla was incorporated in 1848, after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo moved the U.S.–Mexico border south of the village of Doña Ana, placing it in the United States. A small group of citizens, unhappy at being part of the United States, decided to move south of the border. They settled in Mesilla at this time.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Mesilla, decade by decade

Today5 recent
La Posta De La Mesilla Restaurant was founded in 1939 in2014La Posta De La Mesilla Restaurant was founded in 1939…Cobblestone streets in front of the historic La Posta De La Mesilla Restaurant in2014Cobblestone streets in front of the historic La Posta…Mesilla 18542010Mesilla 1854NMMap-doton-Mesilla2004NMMap-doton-MesillaAdobe bricks in2001Adobe bricks in
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Mesilla

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Jerry HinesAmerican football and basketball player, coach,… · b. 1903
M
Micaela Lara CadenaAmerican politician
M
Mike C. Frietze Jr.American politician · b. 1927
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Mesilla’s post office has been open since 1858.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Four Points
Gone or out of use
Doña Ana County Courthousebuilding
1cemetery inside Mesilla
San Albino

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Las Cruces11 historic placesB+

Questions about Mesilla’s history

What year was Mesilla founded?

In 1848, according to Wikidata. Mesilla’s post office opened in 1858.

How does Mesilla rank for history?

Mesilla is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Mesilla?

Two places: the Mesilla Plaza (listed 1966) and the Barela-Reynolds House (1978).

How old are the homes in Mesilla?

22% of Mesilla’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.6 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1971.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.